


Frenemies, Exhaust, sneaking.

by Kelady



Series: Three Random Words [15]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Hurt Tony Stark, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Loki, Steve is being mean, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-09 20:45:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6922771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelady/pseuds/Kelady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>3 Word prompt</p><p>Frenemaies. Exhaust. Sneaking</p><p>Or</p><p>Tony adopts Loki and Bucky into the tower. Steve is a dick Bucky and Loki want to help and Tony needs to stop working so much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Frenemies, Exhaust, sneaking.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JProxy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JProxy/gifts).



> This is from and for JProxy  
> The full prompts was  
> PS could you make one with Loki and Bucky being protective of Tony? Like:  
> Loki is injured and Tony practically demands he hide out in the tower until he's better because they're frienemies. Then Bucky demands Tony fix his arm and Tony adopts him into his tower as well. Together they make a truce to work together to help Tony because he's running himself ragged with too much work from SI, SHIELD and the Avengers so once Loki is healed he fights the avengers avoiding Tony as best he can and follows them to the tower where he watches Tony get lectured by Steve for something out of his control. The team except Bruce who is a saint and decides Tony's business is not his business, all try to find out what Tony has been working on and eventually just break into the lab where they find Bucky in the kitchen making sandwiches and Loki appears. Lets just say no one is happy, Tony is upset and Steve is a dick-munch but Bucky and Loki are the best bros and decide to comfort Tony. Bonus points for Bucky punching Steve in the face and maybe one or two tears from Tones when they comfort him? Sneaking, Frienemies, Exhaustion. Again thank you<3
> 
> Hope i got everything. Sorry it's late. Life.
> 
>  
> 
> But anyway hope you enjoy

 

“Are you alright?” Tony flies down to the unmoving Loki

“Fine, as you so often say.” Loki say holding his arm and side.

“So, you’re not fine?” Tony lifts up the faceplate.

“No.” Loki says with a look. “I think my shoulder may be dislocated and I think I may have been stabbed. I am bleeding.”

“God damn it.” Tony sighs “Go back to the stupid Tower and head to my lab. Put pressure on the wound until I can get there. And for the love of god don’t touch anything.”

“Very well.” Loki says disappearing

“He’s gonna be the fucking death of me.” Tony puts down his helmet “Okay, Loki is taken care of. Let’s call this a wrap.”

“Alright, Iron Man. We’re heading back now.” Steve’s rings through

“I’ll meet you there.” Tony says putting the faceplate down

The flight back to the Tower is quick and Tony heads straight for his lab.

“Loki?" Tony calls entering.

“Yeah.” Tony walks in and sees him sitting on the couch

“Make yourself at home.” Tony rolls his eyes.

“Was I supposed to sit on the floor?” Loki asks

“Whatever.” Tony sighs “Stand up. I gotta pop your shoulder back in.”

“Do you know how to do that?” Loki asks skeptically.

“As a matter of fact, I do. Stand up.” Loki stands up and hesitantly

“How?” Loki asks

“We all had to take first aid training at somepoint. I’ve done it to Clint. Come on. Before I kick you out. Then I gotta stitch you up.” Loki walks over as Tony stands next to him and grabs his shoulder

“3, 2.” Tony pops it back in and Loki groans

“Couldn’t. Couldn’t you have waited until 1?” Loki says taking a deep breath

“It’s better this way. Where are you stabbed?” Loki lifts up his shirt and shows a small stab wound “It’s not deep.” Tony mumbles looking at it. “I’ll bandage it. I don’t think it needs stiches.”

“Alright.” Loki says as tony heads for his medical kit “Why do you help me as though we’re friends, when I am the enemy?”

“We’re frenemies remember?” Tony rolls his eye wiping the blood away

“Frenemies?” Loki asks

“Yes.” Tony nods

“Okay… how does your team feel about our relationship?”

“Yeah… see… um-“

“They don’t know, do they?” Loki asks

“No.” Tony shakes his head “Which is why we got to keep this quiet. No one can know.” Tony nods

“Sir, Captain Rogers is at the door.” Tony perks up

“Get in the closet.”

“What?” Tony pulls Loki up and drags him to the closet. “I don’t-“ Tony slams the door in his face.

“Stay.” Tony turns around and looks at the bloody wipes and bandages. “Fuck.” Tony grabs a piece of scrap metal and scrapes it across his arm and hisses. He tosses the metal in the corner. He grabs a cloth and applies pressure. “Let him in.”

“Tony what are you… You’re bleeding?” Steve says looking at Tony and then the wipes and blood..

“Uh yeah. Small cut.” Tony shrugs

“Let me see.” Steve commands and tony walks over and lift up the cloth.

“It’s not too bad. You won’t need stiches.” Steve pulls Tony over to the couch. “Let me bandage it.”

“I can do it.” Tony says but lets Steve drag him.

“I know you can. But it’s better to not do it on yourself. What happened?” Steve asks

“Well Loki grabbed my arm and he crushed the suit and a piece of metal dug into my arm. As you can see.”

“Other than that you’re good?” Steve asks cleaning it “You had a tetanus shot recently?”

“yep, right as rain.” Tony nods then frowns “I never understood what the means but… yeah. I’m good.”

“Alright.” Steve looks him over but nods. “What I came to tell you we have to get debriefed. I didn’t think you needed medical attention. Fury was somewhere so it’s in 15. Please come. I don’t want to make a big deal about it.” Steve puts a bandage on.

“I’ll be there.”

“Good. JARVIS let Tony know when Fury arrives, please.”

“I will.”

“Alright. I know you’re probably in the middle of something knowing you so… I’m gonna go but make sure you come.”

“I said I’d be there.” Tony rolls his eyes “You even have JARVIS reminding me. Ye of little faith.”

Steve snorts and leaves

“Alright. You can come out.”

“Are you an idiot?” Loki says as the door opens

“No?” Tony asks

“did you have to cut yourself?” Loki demands

“Oh are you concerned?” Tony says with a smile.

“You’re an idiot.”

“Whatever.” Tony flips him off “I have to go upstairs. I lock the lab so no one can come in. Please don’t touch anything. If you break anything the fr in frenemies is going to be gone. Understood?”

“What do you expect me to do?” Loki asks

“JARVIS please play Loki a movie until I return.”

“Any on in particular?”

“Star wars.” With that Tony heads up the stairs.

 ~

Tony’s on his way to get donuts when it happens. All of a sudden he’s being pulled into an ally with a gun pointed at his head. After the initial shock where off he looks at the man

“Barnes?” Tony asks with look of disbelief “What are you-“

“Fix it.” Bucky demands. That’s when Tony notices Buckys metal arm is dangling uselessly.

“Oh.” Tony says “Okay. Sure. You can follow me back to the lab… can I get those donuts...? I was seriously looking forward to them.” Bucky lowers the gun and thinks.

“As long as you don’t tell Steve.”

So that’s how Bucky is now sitting in his lab while Tony munches on donuts looking his arm.

“Okay, does it hurt?” Tony asks looking at it.

“Yes. Only when I move it though.” Bucky says glancing at Loki who is in the corner eating a chocolate glazed. “Shouldn’t he be in jail or something? He killed like thousands of people.” Bucky finally says as Tony starts opening the flap to work on the arm

“Oh, yeah… no, we’re cool.” Tony shrugs “We got this whole frenemies thing going on. Oh and you can’t tell the others he’s here. If you decided you want them to know you’re here. Okay, I’m harboring two criminals. I feel like that says something about the kind of person I am.” Tony frowns but continues on working

“Are you kidding me?” Tony throws up his arms an hour or so later.

“What?”

“Hydra scientists suck at engineering. God this is terrible.”

“Can you fix it or not?” Bucky asks slightly annoyed

“Yeah, I’m a genius but they put in faulty wiring and the way they laid it out god help me. But it’s gonna take more than a few hours.”

“How long?” Bucky asks

“3 days.”

“I can do three days.”

 

“Are you gonna take a break?” Bucky asks later that day after Tony’s been working on his arm for a total of 5 hours.

“Are you hungry? Do you need to pee?” Tony asks looking up

“Well, sorta, but I mean you’ve been working non-stop. Don’t you want to take a minute?”

“Nope, I’m okay.”

“Okay, well I want a break.”

“Oh…kay.” Tony puts down the screwdriver and puts up the hatch.  “Yeah, I should get some stuff for SI done.”

“You have anything to eat?” Bucky asks

“Oh uh… yeah. I have a mini kitchen over there.” Tony points in the back left corner “I’m sure I have something to eat.”

Bucky nods as Tony heads over to his work bench to start working on the latest StarkPad.

“My god, if this is what you eat how do you survive?” Bucky asks looking at the fridge which has ketchup pickles butter and a few bottles of soda. He opens the cabinet and sees a few open bags of chips and some poptarts.

“I uh usually head upstairs for food. You want me to go get either of you anything?”

“Sure.” They say at the same time.

“Loki you want mac and cheese? And what do want Bucky?”

“Whatever is fine.” Bucky calls.

“Good.” Tony runs up the stairs.

“Tony?” Steve calls “Where have you been all day?”

“Working.” Tony replies simply heading to the fridge.

“On what?” Steve asks genuinely curious

“Super-secret stuff. Need to know basis.” Tony says pulling out some left over mac and cheese.

“Need to know from who?” Steve asks sitting his cocoa.

“You know… SI, and SHIELD. It’s not a big deal.” Tony shrugs

“When can we know?” Steve asks

“I dunno a few weeks. It’s not up to me.” Tony places the food in the microwave.

“Who is it up to?”

“Uh… not entirely sure. But uh… when they give the A-Okay I’ll let you know.”

“Mhmm.” They stand there for an awkward moment until the microwave beeps.

“I’ll uh… see you soon.” Tony grabs his food and heads for the elevator. He stocks the fridge the next day.

 

“I need sleep.” Bucky yawns the next night.

“Same.” Loki mumbles from the couch

“Do you want the couch?” Bucky asks

“No, I had it last night it’s you turn.” Loki says standing.

“Alright thanks.” Tony buys a recliner after that.

 

Day three comes and the arm isn’t done.

“I’m sorry. I can keep working on it for the next couple hours and get most of it done. It’s just you didn’t want to work as often as I thought we would and-“

“Tony.” Bucky cuts him off. “It’s fine.”

“No, I told you-“

“How much longer working at the pace we’re working?”

“At least 3 more days.” Tony whispers “It’s a lot harder than it was supposed to be. I keep running into issues. I should have just built a new one.”

“How long will it take to build a new one?”

“A week.” Tony says confidently

“Okay… so will you make me a new one?” Bucky asks

“… Yeah. Sure.” Tony nods “I can do that.”

“Awesome.” Tony nods and gets to work.

 

“What do you think he’s working on?” Steve asks looking towards the door.

“What did he tell you exactly?” Bruce asks

“Super-secret stuff. Need to know basis from SI and SHIELD. Wouldn’t tell me anything else. You don’t think it’s weapons do you?”

“No.” Bruce says “He wouldn’t do that.”

“So what do you think it is?” Clint asks

“I don’t know.” Steve responds

 

 

 

“Tony?” He heats Bucky asks “What the hell are you doing?”

“Working.” Tony says looking over at the sleepy man

“It’s 3 am.”

“Yeah, and?”

“You need sleep.”

“I don’t need sleep I need this done.”

“You can do it tomorrow.”

“But-“

“No buts. Bed.” Bucky grabs Tony’s arm and pulls him away from his work

“I need-“

“To sleep.”

“Stop cutting me off.” Tony grumbles

“Get some sleep then we can talk.” Tony grumbles but does as he’s told

 

“Seriously.” Steve says when Tony emerges again “What are you working on?”

“yeah, you’ve been down there working for days. We abrely see you unless you need food supplies which is rare. What could you be working on?” Clint asks

“Super. Secret. Stuff.” Tony says with a  laugh “I can’t tell you.”

“But come on!” Clint shouts “We’re your team, your friends. We won’t tell.”

“Neither will I.” Tony says shrugging and Clint looks like he wants to protest but Bruce cuts him off

“I don’t think it’s any of our business. He’ll tell us as soon as we’re allowed to know.” Tony smiles at Bruce before heading back to his lab.

 

Tony wakes to the Avengers alarm going off.

He’s out of bed in minutes and on the comms

“What do we have?” Tony asks as they all get into position.

“It’s Loki.” Steve says

“ _What?_ ” Tony demands

“Yeah, he’s back. He’s not exactly hurting anyone but he’s destroying property. I’m on scene now.” Steve says and tony groans.

He flies over to Steve and lands

“Loki. What the hell are you-“ Loki disappears and Tony growls

“Does anyone have eyes on Loki?” Steve says

“Yeah.” Natasha comes through “He’s on 47th.”

“We’re on our way.” Steve calls and they make their way over.

“Loki, what are you doing?” Natasha says with her comm open

“Whatever I want.”

“Well you need to stop.” Nat says

“Loki.” Tony says a arriving and Loki disappears. Tony throws up his arms

“He did that for me too. It looks like he’s avoiding you, Tony.” Steve says coming in “Any idea why?”

“No.” Tony scoffs. “Alright well… try and get people safe.”

“Tony a building on 113th is about to collapse and citizens aren’t clear.” Natasha sats

“On my way.” Tony flies over there

“Scratch 'about to'. It’s collapsing.”

“I’m not there yet.” Tony says pushing farther. There’s a few screams, a loud crashing noise and then nothing. Tony flies over there and realizes there’s nothing he can do. Tony takes a deep breath and gets back to the battle at hand.

 

It takes them an hour to capture Loki and Tony just wants to take a nice shower but no, Steve has to yell at him first.

“Tony, that building? It killed 8 people.” Steve says in his captain America voice

“Yeah, I know. I was too far.” Tony nods looking down

“You should have been there.” Steve says and Tony’s head snaps up

“What?”

“You should have been able to get to those people in time.”

“Steve, I was half way across the city. There is no way I could have gotten to them in time. I didn’t know the building was gonna fall!” Tony says frustrated the other Avengers and Loki watching with interest.

“You should have been able to get there in time.” Steve says frustrated and Tony looks down

“So, let me get this straight.” Loki says after an awkward moment “You’re yelling at T- Stark for not getting there in time, which he had no way of knowing or stopping, but you’re not going to yell at me for causing it? Okay… that’s messed up. Even for me.” Loki says with a look. Tony gives him an appreciative nod and uses the distraction to head to his lab. He just makes out Clint telling Loki to shut it and Bruce saying he’s got a point.

“I’m sorry Loki left I couldn’t-“ Bucky cuts himself off when he sees the look on Tony’s face “What happened?”

“Steve yelled at me.” Tony says blinking through tears “I didn’t get to 8 people in time and they died. Steve told me I should have been able to save them.”

“Steve said that?” Bucky asks shocked. “Wow.” Bucky shakes his head. “I don’t know the details but I’m positive that if you could have saved them you would have. Don’t listen to him. If it’s anybody’s fault it’s Loki’s.” Bucky puts a hand on Tony’s shoulder.

“Yeah that was my fault.” Loki says appearing next to Tony. “Not yours. Don’t let Steve get to you.”

“What the fuck, dude!”  Bucky pushes him “How many people are you going to kill.”

“I didn’t intend for them to die. I was just bored and wanted to make chaos for the team.”

“ _I’m_ part of the team, remember?” Tony asks

“Well, I was avoiding you.”

“Yeah, so much so that I couldn’t save the 8 people and got lectured about it being my fault.”

“I’m sorry.” Loki apologizes sincerely

“I have some stuff to do.” Tony wipes his eyes and heads to his table.

“Tony, you’re working yourself ragged.” Bucky follows him over “You’re up all night. And all day. Take a break. Just a few days. My arm and whatever else can wait.”

“Barnes is rig-“ Tony slams the screwdriver on the work bench cutting Loki off

“This.” Tony says motioning to his work “This, is all I seem to be able to get right. I have terrible friends, terrible team, I apparently suck in battle. _This_ is the only thing I can do. I need to work. I need to be distracted. Keeping busy is the only way I can keep moving. If I stop I get stuck. And if I get stuck I get worse. No, this is the best thing for me! So can you please just… not?” Tony asks

“Yeah… okay… but we’re not letting you exhaust yourself to death. 2 hours.” Bucky says softly

“You’re not my mom. You actually killed my mom." Bucky flinches “So you don’t get to tell me what I am and are not allowed to do!”

“No, I’m not, but I am your friend. At least, I like to think we’ve become friends. And right now, you could use some. So maybe stop yelling at someone who is just trying to help. I’m gonna make some dinner and leave you be. But Tony? I’m just trying to help.” Tony takes a deep breath

“I know. I’m sorry.” Tony says looking down

“It’s alright.” Bucky nods and heads to the kitchen

 

 

“I need to know.” Clint says pacing a few days later. “He’s in there working on it! I think we should break down the door and find out. Guys?”

“I wanna know to… but should we be breaking down doors?” Nat asks

“It’s not our business.” Bruce says quietly

“What if he’s doing something dangerous?” Steve asks “And that’s why he doesn’t want to tell us.”

“Yeah, that’s something Tony would definitely do.” Clint sasys agreeing

“No it’s not.” Bruce argues

“He might.” Natasha says to Bruce

“No, he wouldn’t.” Bruce agrues

“I’m sneaking in through the vents.” Clint says getting ready to walk

“You can’t Tony made a trigger so he’d be alerted if you crawled into his lab unannounced.” Bruce explains

“That’s sketchy.” Clint says “He has to be up to something if he put that in. Steve?”

“Uh… I’m with Clint.” Steve decides “We break down the door.”

“He’ll never see it coming.”

 

~  


The sound fo shattering glass makes the three in his lab turn to the door.

“Okay Tony, you’re going to tell us-“ Steve looks around “Bucky?” Steve asks gaping looking at the man in the kitchen making sandwiches “What are you…?” he turns to Tony and then Loki. “What is he doing here?! What the hell is going on?!”

“You’re sneaking around with him?”

“That’s not cool.”

“Where have you been? Why are you here?”

“He’s a criminal!”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“He’s dangerous.”

“Brother? Are you threatening Anthony?”

“Stop yelling at Tony.”

“SHUT UP!” Tony shouts making everyone stop talking

“Tony, can you please explain why Loki and Bucky are in your lab.”

“Uh… well Loki and me we’re uh… we have a sorta truce thing. I’m helping him to stop hurting people… and Bucky pointed a gun at my head and told me to fix his arm and now he lives here too.” Tony bits his lip waiting for the reaction

“ _What_?” Steve demands “You didn’t think it was important to tell me my best friend has been living here?! What makes you think you get to decide that?” Steve yells

“It wasn’t-“ Tony gets cut off from saying ‘my decision’

“Like that? Really?”

“That’s not-“

“How are we supposed to trust you?! How do we know you’re not working with Loki!?” Steve screams in his face making tony flinch. Which makes Bucky punch Steve in the face.

“Back off.” Bucky seethes

“Bucky?” Steve ask quietly holding his jaw

“I didn’t want him to tell you. And Tony is certainly not working with Loki only trying to help stop him. So you can all stop yelling at him, when he’s just trying to _help_.”

“Why didn’t you want him to tell me?” Steve ask quetliy

“Several reasons.” Bucky states “But I’ll talk to you about them later. I think it’s best if you all leave. _Now._ ” Bucky threatens

“Okay… okay. Come on guys. We can talk more later.” Steve ushers the others out the door. With one last look Steve and the others are gone. Buckyy and Loki turn to Tony who is fighting off tears.

“Tony. Don’t listen to them.” Bucky says softly

“They are fools.”

“I’m not crying because of them.” Tony gives a soft smile “I’m crying because of you two.” They give him a confused look “No one has ever stood up for me like that before.” Tony explains “Thank you.”

“No need to thank us.” Loki smiles

“You’d do it for us in heartbeat.” Bucky wraps one arm around Tony while Loki does the same on the other side.

“What did I do to deserve friends like you?”

“Built me an arm.” Bucky shrugs

“Hide me from the cops.” Loki smiles

“True.” Tony says as the three of them smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> I don't know how much i like this story but i'm going to post it. I've just been a little distracted lately so i know it may not be my best. If you have any pointers please comment them. (The distractions should be over on Tomorrow FYI But i still wanted to get something out)
> 
> As always feel free to leave me a 3 words a prompt. I have 3 to do, but they'll hopefully be out quicker then this one. I have no plans this weekend expect dinner with my family so.


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